Superior optical performance and handling improvements bring one of the most popular focal lengths up to date. With the 35mm F1.4 DG DN | Art, SIGMA has reinterpreted a popular subject and modernized it with a design calculated for mirrorless systems and all the latest SIGMA technologies.
The existing 35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art was SIGMA's first GLOBAL VISION lens.
When it was launched in 2012, it set the standard for all subsequent lenses in the Art range, and thanks to its outstanding image quality, it remains the first choice for many professional photographers to this day. Nine years on, the 35mm F1.4 has now been redesigned from the ground up in a version for mirrorless cameras. This new development culminates the lens development skills and advanced manufacturing techniques SIGMA has added over the past decade. Like all SIGMA lenses, the 35mm F1.4 DG DN | Art is produced entirely at the company's factory in Aizu, Japan, where the highest level of optomechanical mastery is assured.
At the heart of the design of the 35mm F1.4 DG DN | Art was an optical calculus at the highest level of its class.
Although it remains significantly smaller and lighter than the existing 35mm F1.4, on the one hand it draws sharply to the corners of the image even at open aperture, and on the other hand it produces a creamy background bokeh; all aberrations are well corrected.
The 35mm F1.4 DG DN | Art is light enough to form a well-balanced combination with a compact mirrorless camera.
Nevertheless, it comes with many professional features, such as an extremely fast autofocus, an aperture ring with disengageable detent and an option for locking in automatic or manual mode, as well as a configurable AFL button. This makes it just as suitable for professional use as it is as an always-on lens for occasional outings, and it lends itself to video recording as well as photography.
For SIGMA, the 35mm F1.4 DG DN | Art is the new gold standard for fast 35mm fixed focal lengths.
Key features:
1. Outstanding imaging performance with compact dimensions
The most important design goal in the development of the 35mm F1.4 DG DN | Art, as with all lenses in the Art series, was outstanding imaging performance. Fifteen optical elements in 11 groups are responsible for this performance. The correction of color errors caused by the different refraction of light depending on the wavelength (the so-called dispersion) is achieved by two lenses with particularly low dispersion (SLD = Special Low Dispersion), one lens with extremely low dispersion (ELD = Extraordinary Low Dispersion), one lens with fluorite glass-like dispersion (FLD = "F" Low Dispersion) and two aspheres. The combined effect of the optical design and the special types of glass results in an effective reduction of all aberrations, including chromatic aberration, which cannot be corrected in the camera after the fact.
Despite the high F1.4 speed, the coma itself remains low at open aperture, which recommends the Lens for astrophotographers - this tail-like distortion of bright points of light would be particularly distracting in photographs of the starry sky.
Due to the 11 rounded aperture blades, which ensure rounded out-of-focus circles even when stopped down, the bokeh always remains pleasantly soft and makes the sharply imaged subject plane stand out all the better. In backlit situations, SIGMA's stray light and ghosting prevention technologies prevent misdirected light rays from compromising contrast in adverse lighting conditions.
2. Fast and quiet autofocus
Only a single lens element is moved by a stepper motor to focus the SIGMA 35mm F1.4 DG DN | Art. The low mass of the focusing element allows it to respond quickly, quietly and without delay to any desired change in focus, enabling smooth tracking of focus on moving subjects. Manual focus is precise, but the focus ring also exhibits the resistance needed for smooth, jerk-free focus shifts when shooting video. Of course, the focus mode can be switched directly with a slider on the Lens.
3. Professional features
The aperture of the SIGMA 35mm F1.4 DG DN | Art is controlled by an aperture ring - or by the camera's automatic system if the aperture ring is set to the "A" automatic setting. Either way, a lock prevents you from inadvertently switching between automatic and manual modes. Especially for videographers, there is an option to turn off the aperture lock, which allows for continuous exposure control via aperture. The AFL button can be configured in its function via the camera menu, provided that the camera model used supports this. Like the slider for selecting the focus mode, the AFL button is ergonomically positioned for easy operation with the thumb.
The scope of delivery includes a tulip-shaped lens hood that effectively reduces stray light. The lens hood has a locking mechanism for secure attachment to the Lens. Thanks to a rubber coating, it has a good grip and it is quick and easy to attach and detach.
In use, the 35mm F1.4 DG DN | Art proves to be exceptionally robust, so that it can withstand professional use without any problems. The splash-proof and dust-proof construction with seals on all controls and the interfaces of moving parts as well as a sealing lip on the bayonet protects the Lens against the elements, and the water- and oil-repellent coating on the front lens ensures that imaging performance remains undiminished even under adverse conditions.
